Prince Not So Charming
by Le Sobriquet
Summary: Sometimes, love is found in the most unexpected places. For Mikan, she found her Prince Charming in the form of the hot, cigarette-smoking druggie in the neighbourhood. Mikan soon learns that it is never wise to judge a book by its cover. Two-shot. NXM
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Gakuen Alice, luckily, doesn't belong to me, or it would be as ridiculous as this story is, haha.

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><p><strong>Prince Not-So-Charming<strong>

_Sometimes, love is found in the most unexpected places._

If there is anything, anyone that I'm most afraid of, it's Natsume Hyuuga.

He's really famous around these parts of the neighbourhood. Not for being a highly sought-after boy, sadly, but for being a druggie, a hoodlum, a _gangster_. I hate anything that can get me into trouble and mar my perfect record that I work so hard to maintain, so needless to say, I try my very best to keep out of Natsume Hyuuga's way.

I really, _really_ shouldn't be here right now.

I stare at the Natsume Hyuuga himself, quivering slightly. He looks completely at ease, puffing on his cancer-stick, one hand shoved into the pocket of his jeans. He looks like an Abercrombie and Fitch model. Unfortunately, he also looks menacing and dangerous.

He doesn't exactly have a friendly expression on his face as he looks me down, probably gauging whether I have the ability to push him down and just run for my life. I don't. He seems to be registering that fact himself, his lips curling into a condescending sneer as he drops his cigarette and grinds it flat with his heel.

I close my eyes and shudder. God knows how that cigarette could be me next, considering Natsume Hyuuga's reputation as gangster extraordinaire.

I know I shouldn't have agreed to help Ruka out, but he was shaking so badly when he kneeled down to beg me, saying "He won't hurt you! You're a girl, Mikan!". I regret how I was gullible enough to believe him. I should have left him to his own devices, and I won't be trapped in such a predicament right now.

You see, Ruka Nogi happens to be my best friend of sixteen years. He has always been the perfect Prince Charming of my childhood, taking care of me and standing up for me whenever anyone else tried to hurt me. There was once a point in my life when I thought that I wanted to marry Ruka when I grow up. That point is, thankfully, over. Because I'm not entirely sure I want to marry Ruka, who has turned into such a wimp that he can't even bear to face his girlfriend's older brother.

Yes, Natsume Hyuuga is the older brother of Aoi Hyuuga, who is Ruka's beloved girlfriend of exactly two weeks and counting.

Ruka has been in love with Aoi for forever, so when he said that he wanted to confess to her, I was completely supportive, saying "Just go for it!" and giving him a friendly pat on the back.

Everything went rather smoothly, and Aoi accepted Ruka's confession graciously. They started dating. Then, Natsume Hyuuga came into the picture.

None of us were warned that Aoi Hyuuga has a psychotic brother who will do anything – _anything – _to make sure that his sister remains a nun for all of eternity.

He wants to kill Ruka. That is what I heard from Ruka himself, and looking at Natsume in the flesh right now, all 6 feet and more of sinewed muscle and tanned, smooth skin, I doubt that Ruka had been lying to me.

He looks murderous, and so much more.

"Where is that wimp?" Natsume snarls as he slams his fist into the wall that I'm leaning on. I'm quaking when he leans closer and whispers in my ear, "I'll kill him, I swear I will."

I don't doubt him for a minute. It's extremely hard to find the courage to open my mouth in this situation, but I do anyway. "Y-you should ju-just let it go," I stutter with much difficulty, "They really love each other. Ru-ruka would never hurt her. He'll protect her." I try to sound more convincing by meeting his eyes, so that he'll be able to see the sincerity in my eyes.

The moment our gazes lock together and I read the killing intent in those murky, red depths, I snap my head to the side, whimpering slightly at the strain my neck feels.

Natsume exhales sharply and grabs my arm as he leans in even closer. "A saint, are we?" he whispers into my ear. A shiver runs down my spine from the way his breath feels so hot on my ear, and the heat emanating from his body isn't really helping either. I'm scared, but I am a scared sixteen year-old girl, with completely functioning hormones, and Natsume Hyuuga is a boy. An incredibly good-looking boy, whose features don't seem to be affected by the fact that he is doing drugs. I've always heard that people who do drugs tend to look sickly and pale after some time, but Natsume looks like he's absolutely peachy. How can someone look so delicious while threatening –

I slap myself, hard. Natsume almost bounces backwards, his eyes wide with shock, but I barely notice because I'm busy trying to hit all the dirty thoughts out of my system. How can I be so shameless to be thinking thoughts like this about a dangerous person who can kill me with a flick of his finger? I'm not here to gush about him, I'm here to help Ruka get together with the love of his life!

I pull myself together and meet his eyes properly this time. Natsume's mouth is slightly open while he stares at me like I'm crazy. I think I'm crazy too, for agreeing to meet him here. In a small, deserted alley. Alone.

That pretty much defines crazy, I think.

He removes his hand from either side of my head and scoots away, till he's at least half a meter away from me. I stare at him uncomprehendingly. What is he doing?

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" He demands from where he is, looking as if he might bolt any moment.

"Huh?" I say, cocking my head in confusion. "Did something happen?"

Natsume's eyebrows furrow, then he lets out an almost disbelieving laugh. "You hit yourself, that's what happened. More than once."

I'm not about to tell him that I hit myself to stop my hormones from overreacting about how pretty he is, so I simply shrug. "Are you going to let Ruka go?"

"Why?" he asks suspiciously, "If I don't let that wuss go, are you going to beat yourself up and then sue me for doing it? I don't stand for blackmail."

I blink. "No, I -"

"We'll talk about this some other time," Natsume says uncertainly as he starts to leave. "And the next time, that pussy better be with you."

He rounds the corner and disappears. I stay frozen for a while before I register what exactly is happening. The conversation is over? It can't be, I barely did anything!

My cheeks colour as I wonder if he noticed that I was basically drooling over his pretty boy looks. Have I caused everything to fall through? Is Ruka going to get murdered because I failed to help him with the first crisis in his life?

No, it won't do, I decide as I struggle to regain control over my jelly-like legs. I race out of the alley after Natsume, spotting him ambling forward slowly some distance in front of me. I make my way over to him, noticing that he's coughing a little uncomfortably.

"Wait!" I call, and he turns as I run up to meet him. He's rubbing his fists, wincing a little, but that expression quickly turns into a stoic one when he notices that I'm the one who's calling him. He drops his fist and lets his hand fall to his side, but I do notice that his fists are raw and slightly bleeding, from the way he punched the wall earlier.

"What do you want?" he demands hostilely when I come to a stop in front of him.

"Well, I want you to promise that you won't do anything to Ruka," I start saying, and he sneers at me. "But I know you're not going to do that," I add hastily, "so I – uh – I just want you to promise that you won't do anything to Ruka for the time being."

"For the time being?" Natsume echoes, looking a little confused. I discover that he's not half as menacing as he was now that we've left the alley. _He's weird_, I think to myself. Apparently I stayed quiet for much too long a time, for Natsume shoves my shoulder lightly and hisses, "Explain."

"Well, I'm just saying that you can hit Ruka after he hurts Aoi," I explain firmly, "He hasn't hurt her yet, right? They're happy together. I think Aoi and Ruka are both nice people who deserve to be happy, and it's unfair and stupid of you to deprive them of that simply because you harbour a secret fetish for killing off your sister's boyfriends."

"I'm stupid?" he repeats almost amusedly, and I swallow the lump in my throat.

"I think you can promise me that, at the very least," I nod as I continue.

Natsume shoves a hand into the pocket of his jeans. "You're asking for a truce," he points out blandly.

"Yes."

"Mikan," he drawls my name, and I feel myself getting red for no reason. Why would he know my name anyway? I'm not famous like he is. "You seriously think I'll wait for him to hurt my sister before killing him?"

"He's not going to hurt her," I scoff exasperatedly, "That's the point I was trying to get across, but apparently you're too thick-headed to understand."

"You're talking back now? You were shaking just now."

I flush. "You're not as scary as you look like you are," I confess, gathering up enough courage to grab his injured hand. Natsume grimaces when my fingers pass over the bleeding wounds. "You're awfully scared of pain, for one."

Natsume scowls and jerks his hand away from my grasp. "I'm not." Then he stalks away, and I get this nagging feeling that Natsume Hyuuga is surprisingly prideful and childish.

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><p>I don't know where I found the courage to do this, but I'm trailing behind Natsume Hyuuga as he walks on the street, probably heading back home. I think if I pester him enough, eventually he'll agree to my request just to get rid of me. He doesn't seem to notice that I'm behind him though, so I come up closer to him and end up walking beside him.<p>

"Get lost," he says tiredly, his voice not holding much conviction. I've come to realize in the short time that I've really known Natsume, that he honestly won't hurt a girl like me, just as Ruka said. My fear of him has diminished by nearly half, so I brazenly continue to walk next to him.

"Why do you disapprove of Aoi and Ruka so much?" I ask, trying to start a conversation.

Natsume turns his head to shoot me a withering glare. "He's going to hurt her. Just like all the other bastards did."

My eyes widen as I realize what he's getting at. "There were others?" I repeat incredulously, "Enough to make you become so psychotic?"

"I suggest you shut up before I make you," Natsume retorted fiercely, snapping his head away from me as he trudged down the sidewalk. I hurry to catch up with him, and he isn't really very happy when I do.

I want to tell him to trust Ruka, and that he's stupid for losing faith in humankind just because a few idiots broke his sister's heart. I also want to say that he's awfully sweet for a gangster, worrying about his sister like that.

But I'm still not awfully sure how much riling up he'll take in his stride before he really decides to hit me.

"You're gay, aren't you?" I blurt out stupidly, cursing myself the moment the words leave my mouth. When I was thinking about testing his boundaries, I wasn't actually going to do it. Especially not like this.

Natsume looks like he would like to strangle me. He also looks like he wants to burst out laughing, but that would probably be detrimental to his bad boy image.

He ignores what I've said and continues walking forward, turning in when we reach a fairly large, cosy looking three-storey house. I know it's going to be rude if I follow him right into his own _home_, but considering all the things Ruka has done for me before he became such a wuss, I think I owe him this much.

So I follow him right to his doorstep. Natsume opens the door and goes in. For a moment he's inside the house and I'm standing outside, then the door's closed, and I'm still outside.

I stand completely still in shock. _He just slammed the door in my face._

It's a long while before I regain my composure, and then I gather up the tattered remains of my pride and walk back home, alone.

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><p>The next time I run into Natsume Hyuuga, he's doing drugs.<p>

I see him leaning on the wall outside the general store in our neighbourhood, nonchalantly pulling out a plastic bag full of some powder-like substance, and emptying the whole lot into his mouth.

If I say that I'm repulsed by the un-gentlemanly behaviour he showed me last week by slamming his door in my face, then now I have to say that whatever bit of physical attraction I have stupidly had towards him is now over.

I despise people who act like their lives are worth nothing, like it's okay for them to be wasting their lives away like this. My parents may not love me, but I'll never attempt to ruin myself just to show them up. In fact, I've been working harder than anyone else, maintaining my straight A record just to show them that I can be better, that I'm worthy of their affection.

From what I know, Natsume Hyuuga has a completely functional family. His dad and mom are both alive, and they are the two most loving people in the universe, from what Ruka says about them. He's happy. People love him. So why is he wasting his life away? I can't help the bout of anger and indignation that rises up within me, so I march up to him, intending to give him a piece of my mind.

"You're an idiot," I hiss when I get to him, snatching the packet of powder out of his hands. Its contains are a bit pinkish, which is not what heroin looks like, so I shove the packet in his face and ask rudely, "What kind of drug is this?"

Natsume looks taken aback for a second before looking mirthed. I want to punch him, I really do. "What's this?" I repeat again, "How stupid can you get, Natsume Hyuuga? You're a perfectly privileged kid with no worries in the world, except for the fact that your sister has a boyfriend. You're sixteen! You're not supposed to be doing drugs and smoking cigarettes and just, just killing yourself off!" I'm breathing hard and feeling very distressed by the time I'm done with my tirade, but Natsume looks extremely unaffected.

I suck in my cheeks sourly. Natsume grins at me, for the first time ever, and I find myself stepping back from the force of that single action.

Wow. My heart wasn't kidding when it told me for multiple times just how attractive the boy standing right in front of me is. If only he isn't a druggie and a gangster, then I can safely entrust myself to him and be married with two kids before I turn twenty-five_._

I shake my head to rid myself of the thoughts.

"You want some?" Natsume asks rather cheekily, grabbing the packet back and dangling it in front of my face. "It's pretty addictive."

I look at him sourly, my lips pulled down into a disapproving frown. Sighing, Natsume opens the packet and holds it in one hand, the other hand pulling me forward forcefully. He squeezes my chin and makes my mouth open before emptying the contents of the packet into my mouth, much to my horror.

Oh God, I'm taking drugs. He forced me to take drugs. I'm now a druggie. I'm eating drugs that taste like lychee and –

And crackle on my tongue.

I stare at Natsume, dumbfounded, as the drugs continue to crackle on my tongue. This actually tastes good, I think to myself. Natsume is looking at me with an amused look on his face. "What is this?" I ask through a mouthful of 'drugs'.

Natsume laughs just a little, and it makes my heart skip a beat. "Candy," he says blandly.

_What?_ I think as I try to process the information. Candy? "It crackles on your tongue," Natsume explains, "you should have had it at least once when you were a kid." He raises an eyebrow at me incredulously. "You've never had it before? It's the best thing in the world."

He honestly looks like he means it when he says that it's the best thing in the world. My heart quivers a little. "Then, when people say you're a druggie..." I start hesitantly, almost afraid of what I'll hear.

"People are stupid," Natsume replies simply, and my heart literally soars and drops in relief and dread. He isn't a druggie!

Then I think back to our first meeting when he had been smoking that cigarette. Now that I actually think about it, the way he coughed after leaving was a little suspicious...

Natsume seems to be able to read my thoughts, for he chips in helpfully, "I smoked to scare you. No, I wanted to scare the stupid little _wuss_ who's after my sister, but you ended up coming instead, so I went on with the charade."

"You were acting tough?" I cry in disbelief, and Natsume scoffs at me.

"I _am _tough," he protests indignantly.

I don't think this is good for my heart at all, as I stand staring at Natsume. He's not a druggie _nor_ a smoker? Then what's going to happen to my defenses?

Natsume isn't a druggie, he's just a sweet brother who wants to protect his little sister, an adorable boy who is still addicted to sweets that crackle in his mouth.

My heart falters as I stare at him. This isn't supposed to happen. He's supposed to be so ridiculously flawed that I can never entrust my heart to him. That's how it's supposed to be.

Now that he turns out to be Mr. Perfect, what else do I have to protect my heart with?

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><p><strong>AN: **This is the first installment of what is going to be a two-shot, featuring Mikan and Natsume. I hope you guys enjoy this, although it's a rather awkward start. I rewrote this thing three times with completely different plots, but the same general idea. I thought it was a good idea at first, but it's just giving me a headache, seriously.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Gakuen Alice does not belong to me.

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><p><strong>Prince Not-So-Charming<strong>

_Sometimes, love is found in the most unexpected places._

I get my test paper from Jinno, my math teacher, and immediately turn it over to look at my results. As usual, it's above ninety percent, but somehow, my heart drops.

Ninety-two percent, the percentage that I have gotten from this week's math quiz, simply isn't up to my standards. I'm doing as well as I always do, yes, but it's not enough.

From my past experience, ninety-two percent won't get me a pat on the back and an encouraging "You've done well, Mikan" from my parents.

And that is all I ever work for, so what's the use of this stupid test paper?

Tears gather in my eyes as I slump back down in my seat. People around me are looking curiously at me. They're pointing at me and whispering among themselves, and I can't help but think resentfully that these people know nothing about me.

I don't even like to study, I think to myself as tears fall uselessly down my cheeks and just serve the purpose of making me feel like an idiot. I need a hug.

_I want to see Natsume._

The thought comes unbidden into my head and successfully stops my tears as I sit up in shock. How can I be so brazen? I can't see Natsume Hyuuga! Not after I've been spending so much effort in avoiding him for the past week.

I haven't seen Natsume or talked to him since the candy fiasco last week. For some reason, finding out that Natsume Hyuuga is just a harmless teenage boy scares me more than knowing that he's a druggie. He's pretty much perfect now, and if I see more of him I'll just fall in deeper into the bottomless hole that is the charm of Natsume Hyuuga. I'm deathly afraid that I won't be able to pick myself up again after that, so I'll rather not see him.

Even though I've been missing him like crazy, as irrational as it seems. Who misses a boy whom she has barely known for three weeks?

Well, apparently _I _do.

I feel so very ashamed of myself – in more ways than one – as I crumple my test paper huffily, my thoughts instantly invaded by the one boy I so desperately wish to forget.

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><p>"Hello, Mikan-chan."<p>

I snap my head around at the sound of the voice, feeling oddly paranoid even though I can tell it's a girl's voice. It _is _a girl, Aoi Hyuuga to be precise. She's walking up to me, looking curious and just a little bit amused. I briefly wonder if even a stranger can tell that I'm this close to going off my rocker.

"Hi," I say, shuffling my feet awkwardly as she comes to stand in front of me. "I haven't congratulated you yet. Congratulations, for... you know, you and Ruka."

Aoi smiles sweetly at me and I cringe. She, unfortunately, looks like a smaller, more feminine carbon copy of Natsume, so I can't help but think back to the smile that Natsume gave me last week.

Their smiles are similar too, except that Aoi's is genuinely friendly and sweet, while Natsume's smile is set to kill. Well, he certainly killed my heart, and my brain on the way, considering how the only thing I can think about is him.

I grimace. I think I must be sick.

I suddenly realize that I must have been making tons of weird, inappropriate expressions in front of Aoi, and my cheeks colour as I straighten my back and plaster a smile onto my face. "I'm sorry, uh, I was just thinking about some things."

"Do the 'things' you're talking about have something to do with my brother, by any chance?"

I flush redder, if that's even possible. "N-no!"

Aoi disregards my violent rejection of her notion and continues to speak. "I'm really sorry," Her eyes are sincere as she apologizes, "I know that my brother has given you and Ruka-kun a lot of trouble regarding my relationship with Ruka-kun. He's not a bad guy, honestly, just a tad bit overprotective, that's all."

"If threatening to murder your boyfriend is your standard for 'a tad bit overprotective'," I mutter under my breath. It's supposed to be mocking and sarcastic, but I can't help the smile that spreads across my face in a second when I remember just how adorable he is.

Aoi smiles knowingly as she eyes my smile, and I immediately erase it as I fake a cough.

"My brother has been asking after you," Aoi says slowly, gauging my reaction.

I hope my elation doesn't show on my face too much, but I've never been a good actress, and Aoi apparently registers that fact as she grins at me.

"He's promised to give me and Ruka-kun some time to try out our relationship, with the added protocol that if Ruka-kun ever lets me down, he'll be allowed to castrate him," Aoi laughs a loud, boisterous laugh, "And, we'll like to have you over for dinner tonight."

My heart starts breakdancing at the thought of seeing Natsume again. It will probably help to lift my rotten spirits, but at the same time I don't want to see him, because then all my previous work will be for nothing.

I sigh, hating myself for being such a wimp. I fiddle around with my skirt nervously, not daring to meet Aoi's expectant gaze. "I'll hate to let you down," I start, "but I -"

"So I'll see you there at seven tonight!" Aoi quips as she stuffs a piece of paper into the pocket of my school jacket. I gape in disbelief.

"Wait, I -"

"That's our address," Aoi ignores me as she continues with her instruction, "My mom will be cooking your share, and she'll be _very very _disappointed if you don't come." She pouts a little, folding her hands on her lap. "It'll be a big help to us if you come, Mikan-chan," Aoi turns to shout as she's leaving. I'm utterly still in shock with my mouth wide open, as distasteful as it is.

"Natsume has been sulking for one whole week because you won't see or talk to him. Please do us a favour and come, or we'll have to continue seeing my sullen brother skulking around the house snapping at anyone who touches his candy." Aoi smiles wryly at me from the school gates. "I hate to make my brother seem like a kid, but I think you know how he is."

Then she's skipping away, all sunshine and rainbows, while I feel as if she's just given me a huge Christmas present.

Natsume's been sulking because I've been ignoring him? As ridiculous as 'Natsume' and 'sulking' in the same sentence seems, I can't help but feel more lighthearted for the rest of the day.

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><p>I'm not intending to go to dinner at the Hyuuga's, although Aoi asked me really nicely, and I already feel guilty for letting her mother down. I tug my quilt up and over my face, wrapping myself snugly in it even though it's a pretty hot summer day.<p>

I think my brain wants me to get sick so I won't be lying when I call to say that I can't make it to the dinner because I'm sick.

A knock sounds on my bedroom door, and I get up quickly. My mother pokes her head into the small opening. "Your father and I would like to talk to you."

Then the door shuts, and she's gone. I feel a pang in my chest, scolding myself for unwittingly expecting more from her. Of course not. My mother has always been cold, always been so formal. She's never called me with an endearment for even once in my whole life.

To them, I am nothing but a big disappointment. Perhaps they don't think I deserve their love, but I do know that the only thing I really want is their love. Even if I can only have it for a day. Even if it's just a sentence, just a _word_.

My guilt eats at me as I make my way down the stairs. After having received the cold treatment from them for so many years, I can't help but start thinking that maybe I do deserve it. After what I did, maybe I really do deserve this...

I sit down on the sofa in the living room, my body stiff and unmoving as I register the solemn atmosphere here. I twiddle my thumbs and try not to wince under the intense scrutiny of my parents.

When someone finally decides to speak, it's my father, and trepidation starts to fill me as his booming voice echoes through the room. "It has come under our attention, that you have been hanging around with a hoodlum."

My blood freezes, and my body does too. I immediately get what they're trying to talk to me about. It's Natsume. Natsume, whom I haven't seen for a whole _week_. Suddenly, I feel very indignant, and a small bout of anger starts to rise within me as I fist the fabric of my skirt in my hands.

"Meeting... undesirable people isn't good for you," My mother continues bluntly, "It might affect your future prospects. Moreover -"

"Natsume isn't 'undesirable people'," I say, and the room falls into an uncomfortable silence.

Okay, okay, I shouted. I stood up and screamed at my parents for the first time ever in my life, and it feels liberating. I feel like I should have done this sooner.

"He's kind, he cares for his sister, he'll do _anything _to protect her, and he's addicted to the type of candy that only kids eat," I'm breathing deeply, my whole body shaking.

I haven't had an outburst anytime in all my sixteen years, but there is no hint of concern or worry over my uncharacteristic action on my parent's faces. My father looks disapproving, but my mother looks unperturbed.

I'm crying hysterically before I realize it. I cry because I know I'm unloved. I cry because I know I'll never be loved, and I cry because I know there's nothing that I can do about it.

"I work _so _hard," I choke out, "I get the best results. I enter the best clubs. All these, all these just so you'll give me a smile, a word of encouragement, anything to make me feel like we really are family. But all I feel like is _shit_. Are you punishing me? For losing Loki all those years ago... Do you hate me for losing him?" I step around the long coffee table to stand in front of my parents, hot tears blurring my vision. I know it isn't just the coffee table that's standing in our way.

It's my brother, Loki. It's years and years of not communicating with each other. It's my parents' inability to cope with their loss.

And it's something that might never be overcome.

"I was a kid," I sob pathetically, and my mother starts to look the slightest bit disturbed, "I loved Loki. I would never have lost him on purpose. I was a five year-old who went out playing with her little brother, and ended up losing him. I was a five year-old wracked by remorse, guilt, and loss. I was feeling what any five year-old shouldn't have to feel. And I get that you hate me for losing your precious son. But don't you get it?" I wipe my tears away, even though they won't stop coming, and I look straight into my parents' eyes. "I love Loki every bit as much as you do. I'm just as pained as the both of you are. I'm just as haunted. Why can't you love me? Am I not worthy of your love simply because I made that mistake?"

My parents' faces are hard, cold and unrelenting even as I sob my heart out in front of them, and the clock strikes seven just as I open my mouth to continue my tirade.

I think the chiming of the clock woke me up, because I realize that it's useless to say anything more. I turn to leave, not even bothering to take my keys with me when I slam the front door shut.

I turn up at the Hyuugas' doorstep with frizzy hair and swollen, red eyes.

I might hesitate before I knock on the door if I'm who I normally am, but right now I can care less, so I just rap on the door twice, and wait for it to open.

When the door opens after what seems like a millenium, bright crimson eyes meet mine, and before I register what I'm doing I'm launching myself into Natsume's arms, sobbing brokenly.

I think three weeks ago Natsume might push me away and threaten to murder me, but right now he just looks bewildered as his hands hover awkwardly around me, not quite touching me, but not pulling away as well.

He manages to pull me onto my feet after I've finished making a spectacle of myself on his doorstep, and guides me into the house as I continue to cry and cling tightly onto him.

Natsume tries and fails to dislodge me from himself, and his mother and sister come rushing over, looking concerned for me and amused too, at Natsume's expense.

He growls something that I can't hear clearly in my frazzled state, and Aoi rushes off, only to come back immediately with a glass of warm water, which Natsume hands over to me.

After I've gotten water into my parched mouth, I suddenly come to my senses and realize what I've been doing.

I ran all the way to Natsume's house just to molest him. Oh, God.

I jump away from Natsume, who looks even more confused now. "Dinner?" His mother asks cheerily, as she leads me away from the living room into the spacious dining room. I follow her wordlessly. Or rather, I can no longer find my mouth, because I'm pretty sure it's been drowned by my embarrassment.

I will whack myself upside down the head if I'm not in the house of the boy I'm pretty sure I am, at the very least, in like with.

Natsume's mother sets the table swiftly while Aoi helps her. Natsume simply stands around with nothing to do. He's staring at me, and I can feel his eyes burning hot marks into my skin. I know I'm going to have to explain things sooner or later, but I really wish that it's later.

We sit down for dinner, and thankfully, Natsume's family doesn't try to ask me anything, and instead fawns over me during the duration of dinner, managing to stuff me so much that I don't think I'll see pie the same way ever again.

Natsume sits with me after dinner, still looking adorably confused. I have enough reason to believe that he wasn't informed about my dinner invitation, because when he thinks I'm not looking, he shoots a few scathing glares at Aoi, who merely takes it in her stride and smiles cheekily at him.

Aoi and Mrs Hyuuga clear up the rest of the dishes and promptly disappear into the kitchen. I don't know what to say to Natsume, so I go over to the brown leather sofa in the living room and sink down into it, averting my red eyes from his gaze.

He doesn't have any intention to just let me off, though. "What's wrong with you?" he asks as he comes to stand in front of me.

That's the question that I don't want to hear the most. I'll much rather he ask me why I'm here, in his house. I'll much rather he ask me why I've been avoiding him for the past week.

I'll rather admit to his face that I _like_ him, for God's sake, rather than risk another bout of crying and wailing about my parents.

But the bomb has been dropped, and already I feel like crying as I sit stiffly. "Nothing's wrong." I try to sound insouciant, failing miserably when my voice cracks.

"Bullshit," he says, his eyes full of disbelief as he sits down next to me and turns me to face him. "Tell me what's wrong, Mikan," he prods.

I try to stop the horses stampeding in my stomach when I hear him say my name in a way that even my parents have never done before. It's full of genuine concern. It makes me feel like I truly do mean a thing to him.

I stare at him for a while, my bottom lip quivering until I finally can't stand the warmth spreading in my chest anymore.

Natsume doesn't even look fazed when I start bawling like a baby, clinging onto his arm like it's the only thing that can possibly keep me afloat. And in a way, it is.

"Everything's wrong," I wail as I hug his arm to my chest tightly, "Everything's wrong. I lost my brother. I lost my parents' love. I lost my family. I have nothing. _Nothing_!" I tell him everything, all the things in my life that have gone wrong, and how it's all my fault.

My heart thuds painfully in my chest as I wait for him to say the words that people have always said to me. It's not your fault, Mikan, they say. It'll fade with time, they say. Your parents _do_ love you.

But they don't, and I've had enough of listening to all these blatant lies, when I know that it _is _my fault for losing Loki. When it is the truth when I say my parents don't love me.

"Don't be an idiot," Natsume says flatly.

I lift my head to look at him, hardly believing what I just heard. "...What?"

"You lost your brother. It's your fault. Your parents are angry, upset, what else do you expect from them?" Natsume continues with a completely straight face as he peels my hands from his arm and stands up.

I'm utterly still in shock as I stare at him, droplets of tears still hanging off my eyelashes. He's saying what I've always thought. He's saying the truth that the others never had the guts to say.

So why do I feel so betrayed?

"You deserve it. It's only just punishment for you losing your brother, isn't it? You'll just have to live with it and stop complaining," Natsume's eyes are like ice shards as he stares at me in a way that makes me feel as if he can see into the depths of my soul.

He shrugs. "It's your mistake, you pay for it."

Natsume's voicing out all my thoughts. I'm not supposed to be getting angry, but violent anger bubbles within me as I stand up, balling my hands into fists at my side.

I'm not supposed to be angry. What he says is absolutely right -

A painful, cracking sound echoes through the living room. It's so loud that momentarily, I'm stunned into silence, wondering why Aoi and Mrs Hyuuga aren't rushing into the living room.

Natsume raises a hand to his red cheek – the one I just slapped – and stares at me, his eyes hard like steel.

"Why?" he asks scathingly, "You don't think you deserve it?"

I'm shaking all over as I struggle to take deep breaths. I don't know what I'm doing, what I'm _saying_, but the words just spill out of me. "I don't deserve this!" I yell, "I was too young to know better. It was my fault, but I don't deserve losing all their love just because of this!" I hit Natsume a few times on the chest to reinforce my statement.

Natsume's eyes soften, and he whispers, "Atta girl."

I think I must be losing it, because I don't understand what's happening at all. Natsume tugs at me lightly, pulling me into an embrace. I feel warm and protected, and more relaxed than I have ever been before. "What are you doing?" I ask, my voice muffled against his chest.

Natsume smiles at me as he pulls away to hold me at arms' length, the same dazzling smile that I first saw a week ago. A week later, it still holds the same power over me, because I feel my legs turning into jelly.

"You've done well." He's so enigmatic that I can't figure out what he's talking about, then my mind reminds me that we're not exactly on friendly terms right now, since I just slapped him a moment ago.

I push him away roughly, cursing myself for my lack of willpower when it comes to him. "What do you mean?" I demand, standing up straight so that I won't look so tiny next to his towering figure.

Natsume pulls me back and I stumble on my feet as I tumble back into his chest again. I hiss a string of expletives that I don't really mean at all as he sits back onto the sofa, pulling me along with him.

"How do you feel?" he asks quietly.

I pause for a moment, not understanding the question, but it quickly comes to me. How do I feel? Right now, tucked snugly into his arms, I feel happy. Contented.

It feels like a huge stone has been taken away from its place in my chest. I feel liberated, like I've finally been set free – from the guilt that has been binding me for all these years.

Then it hits me. Natsume made me say the things that have been buried in my heart for so long, the words I thought I didn't have the right to say. My parents aren't the only ones who have been condemning me for my mistake. I have been hating myself too.

But now, I feel like I can finally forgive myself for the mistake that I made when I was young.

Natsume chuckles a little at my shell-shocked expression, then lowers his head to my ear.

"You have to forgive yourself first if you want others to forgive you," he whispers, and my heart does a little somersault, both because of his close proximity, and the realization that his words give me.

All I know is that I'll never be able to avoid him anymore. How can I, when he makes my heart beat so painfully? When he gave me the freedom I've never been able to grant myself? When he makes me feel so important, so loved...

I've been scared, so scared, that by liking him I'll be pushing myself into another impasse. That once again, I'll be in the situation where he doesn't feel the same way that I feel about him.

I was afraid that we'll be just like me and my parents, but now I know that I was being stupid.

Natsume is different, and I'm sure of that as he mutters something into my ear that I'm not really hearing. I think he's saying that I'm stupid, but I don't really care.

I press my lips to his cheek, mouthing a small thank you as he splutters a little but tries to cover it up.

I've always wanted a Prince Charming to appear and sweep me off my feet, to give me a fairytale ending and get me out of my misery, but even though Natsume's not as charming as I'll like him to be, even though he's surprisingly childish and stubborn, he's also kind, caring, and willing to show me that I'm wrong when I am.

And that's enough to convince me.

He may not be Prince Charming, but I just _know_, that Natsume is the prince that I'm looking for.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Don't you guys feel like it's not very completed? I feel that way, and I'm confused because I don't really know what I should do about it? Do you think this is good the way it is, or should I extend it to a three-shot? Give Mikan a happier ending by not making her parents such asses, perhaps? Haha. *scratches head*

I'm not really pleased with this, haha but thank you for all the reviews you guys left for chapter one! I appreciate it a lot.


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